GOP Senate candidate ties opponent to Biden debate: Bob Casey knew

Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick is leveraging President Biden’s widely panned debate performance to challenge incumbent Sen. Bob Casey as other Democrats face similar criticism about their prior knowledge of the president’s apparent decline.

“No question, he’s prepared to do this job today, and would be, were he re-elected,” Casey is heard saying in a new ad from McCormick’s campaign. The recording is from just a few months prior, in March. 

The ad further highlights the close friendship between Biden and Casey, with footage of Biden calling the Pennsylvania senator “one of my best buddies.” 

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President Biden arrives with Sen. Bob Casey and his wife Terese to speak at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 30, 2022. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

On screen, the words, “Casey knew about Biden’s condition,” appear. 

The Pennsylvania senator’s campaign did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. 

The criticism of Casey, specifically, for not coming forward about Biden’s ability or lack thereof ahead of the debate comes as Democrats in races across the country are facing similar scrutiny for not saying something. 

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“Senate Democrats have spent years propping up Joe Biden despite his obvious mental deficiencies,” said NRSC spokesman Philip Letsou. (Getty Images)

One day following the debate between former President Trump and Biden, which was widely criticized across ideological lines as a poor showing by the latter, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) released an ad showing several sitting Democrats who are up for re-election and those running for open seats defending Biden’s mental acuity. 

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Sens. Jon Tester, Jacky Rosen, Sherrod Brown, Tammy Baldwin, Bob Casey (Getty Images)

“Senate Democrats have spent years propping up Joe Biden despite his obvious mental deficiencies, now the world can see he isn’t fit for the job. This disaster is on their hands,” said NRSC spokesman Philip Letsou. 

President Biden is helped up after falling during the graduation ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, on June 1, 2023. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

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Democrats have uniformly brushed off and denied concerns regarding Biden’s age and physical and mental abilities, assuring the media and public that he was up to the challenge of being president for another term. However, after his less than stellar performance on debate night, reports immediately emerged alleging Democratic panic behind closed doors. Even on CNN and MSNBC, hosts and analysts acknowledged Biden’s lackluster debate showing and the panic reportedly following it. 

Lawmakers such as Casey, Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Jon Tester, D-Mont., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., were already in a difficult position as they tried to balance supporting their party with appealing to a broad group of voters to hold onto their seats. Now, they will certainly face questions about their previous statements of support for the president and their vouching for his mental acuity as fresh questions about Biden’s ability swirl.